Diary of a Humiliated Man

By Félix de Azúa

El hombre humillado a?ora rabiosamente cierto mundo perdido, donde en lugar de pensar s?lo se viv?a. Pero sabe que no es m?s que un contempor?neo, y que el nuestro es un tiempo de Grandes Pensadores.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157129029X
• ISBN13: 9781571290298
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Brookline Books
• Length: 294 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.8" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

had to bump up the average rating

Jean-Paul Sartre's 1938 classic LE NAUSEE was probably a great inspiration to De Azua while writing this. There are so many simularities. Though arguable, Sartre gave birth to philosphy-slash-style Existentialism that DIARY is written in and both authors use more generous amounts of colorfull historical references than a complete Brittanica edition. Each author lets their "heros" set off on a major body of work that they both ultimately fail (sort of). The charactors friends are scaunt to none and the love interest is "distant" at best. It would seem that all signs point to major downer. But the message is finding purpose/strength/humor/direction/our-true-calling in our failures as much as our successes. And suceeds De Azula does. He FUSES (and I like useing that adj. cuz it best discribes his style) with brilliant , mania-inducing firey humor . He also uses the historical refs to more to his advantage- the settling is pulsing with important and unimportant history (both necessary). Although the protagonist's life starts to drag in parts, the writing never does. This is where (i feel) DIARY triumphs over LE NAUSEE. People differ. Maybe this book won't speak to you as it has for me. Give it a try. If it doesn't do it for u I can only say I am truely sorry... (cuz you're missing something I found really beautiful). thank you

Looking for something different? Buy this.

This book promises a refreshing change from the often banal offerings of American literature. It delivers. It is a peculiar little book--and one of the best I've read in a while. It reveals itself quite slowly, but besides being a modest little book and full of hope, it is a well written and clever examination the quest for meaning in modern life. Stylistically, I would place it with Sartre's "Nausea", Dostoevsky's "Notes from Underground," and Hamsun's "Hunger". Philosophically, the story is more optimisitic and more modern. If you enjoyed those, give this book a try.

not banal, not banana

The narrator of this fine book attempts banality, but comes nowhere close to it. The writing is original and fresh. The dialogue is handled very well indeed, and it is a cosmopolitan voice (oh, yes!) that speaks to us from these pages. And a voice that finally manages to escape the confines of literature and present itself as pure and unfettered. The book is funny too, in parts. And did I mention the dialogue--it is really well written. Heck, I enjoyed this book a ton.